The wrong choice for NBA MVP; Survivor; The Office; and no love for the Sens

For much of this season, I could have bought Dirk Nowitzki as the NBA’s most valuable player. That ended, however, on March 14.Up to that point, the Dallas Mavericks were rolling. They were 52-10 (on pace for 69 wins, a near-NBA record), the best mark in the league. Dirk was giving Dallas his usual 25 points and 10 boards. The Mavericks were playing with a chip on their collective shoulder, flashing back every time they hit the court to their monumental collapse in last year’s finals against Miami. Dirk and his teammates were out to make amends.There was no better time to truly make that statement than in the biggest game of the year, with all eyes watching. In came the high-flying, 49-14 Phoenix Suns, led by all-stars Shawn Marion, Amare Stoudemire and two-time reigning MVP Steve Nash.It was an instant classic. Back and forth. Everything the league hoped it would be. Phoenix went up by 16 points in the third quarter only to trail by 15 in the fourth. The Suns came back to get within striking distance in the final two minutes, but all Dallas had to do was hit its free throws and the game was over.Get the ball to Dirk, right? He’s the MVP. He’s the 90 per cent free throw shooter. The franchise. So that’s what Dallas did.And Dirk pulled up lame. The game on the line, he bricked two free throws.At the other end of the floor, former teammate Nash lifted his game.When the Suns needed him most, he scored ten points in the last minute of regulation, none bigger than when he drilled a game-tying three-pointer — even though everyone in the building knew he was taking that shot — to tie it at 111-111 and send the game to OT.When the final buzzer sounded — moments after Dirk missed a game-tying eight-footer in the second overtime — and Phoenix left with a 129-127 win, Nash’s line summed it up. He scored when he needed to (32 points), he made his teammates better (16 assists, two less than the entire Mavericks team) and in a huge game for his squad, he got his hands dirty (snatching eight rebounds, more than double his season average).He simply refused to let his team lose. That one game, even just that final minute of regulation, demonstrates why it should have been announced today that Nash was getting his third-straight MVP award. Instead, an ESPN report says that Dirk will get his first.Now, not to say Dirk didn’t have a fine season. But that was it. Fine. (Look at his numbers compared to other power forwards like Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett or Chris Bosh; not that different. And, as ESPN’s The Sports Guy pointed out recently, Dirk’s numbers were simply an average season for players like Charles Barkley and Karl Malone.)Nash, on the other hand, was the first guy to average 18 points and 11 dimes since Magic Johnson. He helped Stoudemire, coming off major knee surgery, earn a spot on the all-NBA first team. Leandro Barbosa, Nash’s pupil at point guard, was named NBA’s best sixth man. Marion was an all-star. When the Suns struggled with chemistry early in the season, Nash kept things together. This may have been his best season ever.Still, it wasn’t enough.Some voters would be absolutely convinced that Dirk was the MVP. (I don’t buy the ‘best player on the best team must be MVP’ logic, but that’s fine.) I do sense, however, that maybe some voters got bored with Nash (when you see something long enough, you sometimes take for granted how spectacular it is). Others admitted that they wouldn’t feel right including him along with Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlin and Larry Bird as the only players to win three-straight MVP awards.No matter the reason, they got this one wrong.

Some other random thoughts before the weekend:

(1) They’re within three games of the Stanley Cup finals, but I just don’t get the sense that Ottawa’s playoff run is capturing the country’s imagination like Edmonton and Calgary did the past two seasons.I’m not sure I can pinpoint why, either. Ottawa plays an entertaining brand of hockey. They’ve got some good Canadian boys on the roster. Plus, they are the last hope to bring the Cup north of the border.My best guess: There’s no life-long fans of Ottawa to generate that same type of feel. (The team’s only been back in the league since 1992-93).It just doesn’t feel as magical as the Oilers’ and Flames’ runs. Maybe it’s because fans of those two teams remembered the good times and waited so long for them to return. They stuck with their squads through thick and thin, and the chases for the Cup in 2004 and 2006 was their reward.

(2) This season’s Survivor started slow, but in the last few weeks it’s turned into one of the best ever. Last night’s episode was just another example of some great twists and turns.Yao Man is playing the game as well as anyone ever has. Physically, you’d have expected him to be gone in the first week or two but he formed the right friendships, has been surprisingly tough in the challenges, got lucky with the immunity idol and has shown the right instincts to stay alive.His alliance with Earl should have been broken up three tribal councils ago (my favourite Survivor episode of all time). If he wasn’t paying attention, Yao Man would have been gone last night. But he’s been on the ball every time.(Of course, when those conspiring against him are as competent villains as Wile E. Coyote, that does make his life a little easier. If Dreamz, for instance, hadn’t opened his mouth and told Yao and Earl that the Four Horsemen had an immunity idol, Yao Man would be gone. Then, last night, if Stacy hadn’t said during tribal council that the vote was going to be close and that it would split the tribe, maybe Yao Man wouldn’t have gone with his gut and used his idol. Regardless, bungling fools are always fun to watch.)My prediction: Boo goes next, followed by Dreamz. Earl and Yao take Cassandra to the final three (since she will not get a single vote), and it comes down to the two buddies. In a split vote, the winner on Sunday will be . . . Yao Man.

(3) Any fans of The Office should have loved Thursday’s episode. It was a classic example of a slow build paying off.If the show had rushed the storyline, Karen the new girl could have come in and dated Jim, only to have Pam two weeks later confess her love for him. Fans would have been happy, but the drama would have been lacking.Instead, Pam, a truly lovable character, bites her tongue and holds in her thoughts all season. Another relationship fizzles for her at the same time Jim and Karen’s is growing. Work is miserable. She’s become an afterthought in all parts of her life. You can’t help but pull for her to get through it.That’s why, when last night she finally did something for herself and proved to herself how strong she is, the viewer couldn’t help but be happy for her. Then, when all her feelings — good and bad, angry and glad, happy and sad — came rushing out, some great season-long writing culminated in that one scene.I can’t wait for next week’s season finale.

Dave Deibert won’t be getting much sleep this weekend. Reach him at ddeibert@sp.canwest.com

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